Let's talk about irony. Twelve
years ago, Hasbro introduced the
TRANSFORMERS
ACTION MASTERS line. These were 3¾" action figures of popular
Transformers
characters, as well as a number of new faces. Established characters
such
as
Optimus Prime, Megatron, Bumblebee, Starscream, Jazz, and Shockwave
joined up
with new characters like Rad, Axer, Kick-Off, Banzai-Tron, and others.
I
very
much liked the figures. Many collectors at the time hated them, the
big
argument being that they didn't transform. That their accessories and
vehicles did, and that the figures often bore a much closer resemblance
to
their animated counterparts than some of the toys (Megatron especially),
seemed to escape the complainers.

Ultimately, the line has
gained a fair measure of long-overdue respect.
Part
of this could be the massive conceptual overhauls Transformers has
undergone
in recent years -- from Beast Wars to Beast Machines to Robots in
Disguise to
Armada. People miss the chassic characters. And that may go a long way
to
explaining the popularity of the new Heroes of Cybertron line.

Introduced in Japan by Takara,
original home of the Transformers, this
line
features PVC's -- small, limited-poseability figures of popular
Transformers
from what is called "Generation 1", the earliest years of
the
Transformers
(and arguably the most popular). They were brought to the United States
by
Hasbro this year. Curiously, the toys are even less articulated than
the
old
Action Masters line, and yet they're flying off the shelves whenever
they're
encountered.

The oddest quirk about these
toys is their availability. You won't find
them
at Toys "R" Us, although rumor has it they may turn up there
eventually.
Nor
do Wal-Mart or Target carry them. For whatever strange reason, the Heroes
of
Cybertron have been marketed to a select group of exclusive department
stores
and pharmacies. In Tucson, the only place you can find Heroes of
Cybertron is
in the limited but sometimes interesting toy section at Walgreens.

This isn't as much of a hardship
as it seems. There are so many Walgreens
in
Tucson that their idea of home delivery is to toss your prescription
out
the
window. If it's not already coming from the Walgreens nearest to you,
then
it'll surely hit the Walgreens next closest to the one where it
originated,
and continue to be passed along until it's on your doorstep. I can think
of
at least eight Walgreens in my immediate area just offhand, and I'm
probably
forgetting a few.

There are nine Heroes of
Cybertron figures presently available. And
although
it took visiting every Walgreens on my side of Tucson, I was able to
round up
the whole lot. They include Optimus Prime, Megatron, Ultra Magnus,
Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Powermaster Optimus Prime with
Apex
Armor, Powermaster Optimus Prime Spark Attack, and most interestingly,
Arcee,
a very popular female Autobot who has never had a figure derived
precisely
from her original design. There is also a character called Paradron
Medic
that is derived from Arcee.

How are the toys? Not bad.
The likenesses are superb. But there's a few
flaws. Sometimes it's difficult to find one with a really well-done
paint
job. I've got two sloppy Ultra Magnus figures here and I'm not entirely
content with either one. They also tried to mold the heads in transparent
plastic so that in the proper light it would like like their eyes glowed.
Unfortunately, on most of the figures, the heads are so small that this
just
doesn't work, and only adds to the pant job problem. And a lot of parts
get
reused. Starscream, Skywarp, and Thundercracker are all the same mold.
This
isn't too surprising, since they were the same mold in their original
forms,
but it's still noticable. The Apex Armor and Spark Attack Optimus Primes
are
the same mold, but the Spark Attack one is molded in a very cool
transparent
gold from head to toe, so I'm a little more inclined to excuse that
one.
And
as I said, Arcee and the Paradron Medic are the same mold.

Articulation is very limited
on these. They're more display pieces than
toys.
But if you accept that going in, then you can still get some very nice,
and
inexpensive representations of some very popular Transformers.

A second assortment is in
the works, and should be available very soon.
It is
expected to include Rodimus Prime, Galvatron, Cyclonus, Soundwave,
Ironhide,
and Grimlock, interestingly in his dinosaur form rather than his robotic
form. Granted, Grimlock is probably better known in the dinosaur form.
And
this assortment will also mean a lot less mold repetition.

But the news gets even more
interesting. Hasbro is giving serious
consideration to bringing over a line developed by Takara called "Mega
PVC"
Transformers. Standing a full five inches tall, these figures have
outstanding articulation, as well as superb likenesses to the characters.
I
see these as essentially the return of Action Masters, only better.
Or,
if
you prefer, picture some of the most popular Transformers characters,
in
their classic robotic forms, with the articulation and detail level
of
Gundams. Provided they don't try something stupid like battle-damaging
or
paint-wiping the figures, and assuming they're not pre-posed in any
way,
there's just no way to go wrong with a concept like that, and I anxiously
look forward to them.

For those with even less
patience than myself, you can get some of them
already in their original Japanese packaging on online. Do a search
under
the
phrase "Mega PVC" and see what turns up.

Overall, the Heroes of Cybertron
line is not a bad collectible at all,
and is
a cool way to get some very nice small display pieces of popular
characters
from the early years of Transformers. And if they serve as a lead-in
to
what
sounds like a very promising line with these "Mega PVC" figures,
then so
much
the better. But even on their own, they're very cool, and any longtime
Transformers fan will want them. I highly recommend them.